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Showing posts from April, 2013

It seems that when you cannot get re-elected, you get to troll just as hard as you like at public dinners.

It seems that when you cannot get re-elected, you get to troll just as hard as you like at public dinners. Originally shared by Dan McDermott VIDEO: President Obama kills at the WHCA Dinner This was hysterical: THE PRESIDENT:  Thank you.  (Applause.)  Thank you, everybody.  (Laughter.)  How do you like my new entrance music?  (Applause.)  Rush Limbaugh warned you about this -- second term, baby.  (Laughter and applause.)  We’re changing things around here a little bit.  (Laughter.) Actually, my advisors were a little worried about the new rap entrance music.  (Laughter.)  They are a little more traditional.  They suggested that I should start with some jokes at my own expense, just take myself down a peg.  I was like, guys, after four and a half years, how many pegs are there left?  (Laughter.) I want to thank the White House Correspondents.  Ed, you’re doing an outstanding job.  We are grateful for -- (applause) -- the great work you’ve done.  To all the dignitaries who are here, ever

Li Canty Li Canty i thought you'd find this interesting.

Li Canty Li Canty i thought you'd find this interesting. Originally shared by Matt Dawson Here's an article I wrote about some techniques and tricks that are essential for new photographers. Well the tricks aren't really essential, but by practicing them you will learn about the importance of shutter speed and aperture. Please give it a share if it's useful, or you know a newbie photographer. Thanks :) #photography #photographytips   http://www.technorms.com/20030/5-essential-tricks-for-new-photographers

Alicia Smith getting in some flight hours on her AR.Drone.

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Alicia Smith getting in some flight hours on her AR.Drone.

"Skynet"

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"Skynet" #WeeklyPhotoProject2013 curated by  Andrew Willard , Iain Harley and  Tiina Niskanen Weekly Photo Project 2013 Week 16: Technology Alicia Smith takes her AR.Drone mk1 out for a spin. Although they are very limited as photographic platforms at present, who knows where they will take us?

At the end of The Great War, where our youth, our brightest, and best went to stand for their country, and died in...

At the end of The Great War, where our youth, our brightest, and best went to stand for their country, and died in their thousands, the cry amongst the world leaders was 'Never Again!' And yet it did. And again our youth - the brightest and best - went out to fight, and died in the widest-reaching conflict in our history. And again, and again, in dozens of smaller wars and conflicts. Out they go, to serve, and to die, and why? To protect. Be it peacekeeping in the Balkans, police action in South East Asia, Search and Rescue, fighting against a mighty dictator bent on world domination, or even the current ambiguous actions - they go and serve, trusting their leaders that what they do is to protect. Be it our own country or the people of another. And some pay the ultimate sacrifice. And many more return with bodies and minds and souls shattered.  And today, it is them - not the leaders sent them - who we remember. It is they who we honour, not the wars. It is they, and their brav

If you enjoy photography, these are great fun - and the Anniversary Walks are particularly special, so come and join...

If you enjoy photography, these are great fun - and the Anniversary Walks are particularly special, so come and join us! It does not matter is you a 9 or 90 - or if you shoot with an iPhone or a Hasselblad - or if you are a beginner or a pro - the only thing that matters is that you are there to take photos and share the experience. Originally shared by Paul Pichugin Hold the date! We're organising a massive photo walk to celebrate Google+'s 2nd Anniversary! More details to come. Feel free to join our small but growing West Aussie Photo Walks community here on G+ too:  https://plus.google.com/u/0/communities/112238561462664129985 The more members we get, the more likely I am going to be able to get some swag and prizes from sponsors :) events/cm8ngvj69aeq951missaceuisg0

OK, this is just something I made up... if it happens IT IS NOT MY FAULT, OK?

OK, this is just something I made up... if it happens IT IS NOT MY FAULT, OK? Come the next election, Labor gets stomped, but not quite as badly as everyone expects. Abbot forms a standard Coalition government, and denies Turnbull a Cabinet position. Turnbull, starts behind-the-scenes politicking, but realizes he cannot get the support he needs for a challenge, but does garner some very loyal support. Come April, just before the Budget is being prepared, he and a goodly number of his supporters cross the floor in exchange for the Deputy and a number of Cabinet positions, precipitating a mid-term change of government. One year later, he is offered the role of PM by a retiring Gillard, and takes Labor to victory in the next election. IT COULD JUST HAPPEN! :) Variation: He moves to the cross-bench and the Greens, and forms a formal Labor/Green Coalition.

The Lightning Sands of The Fire Swamp are real! (Sort of.)

The Lightning Sands of The Fire Swamp are real! (Sort of.) http://feeds.boingboing.net/~r/boingboing/iBag/~3/Hw837qRIrl0/story01.htm

Alien skies above a busy port... trouble brewing...

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Alien skies above a busy port... trouble brewing... #WeeklyPhotoProject2013 curated by  Andrew Willard , Iain Harley and  Tiina Niskanen Weekly Photo Project 2013 Week 14: Night I thought I'd play with the in-camera stacking mode of my FT-3, the results, while not stunning, can be interesting - especially with lots of sodium lamps nearby :) On the horizon, from left to right: Fremantle Port, a scattering of ships in Gage Roads, Rottenest Island, and one ship in the North Channel.

A bit of a rarity for you - City of Chaos, part tile-laying, part find-your-own-adventure, part munchkin - and all...

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A bit of a rarity for you - City of Chaos, part tile-laying, part find-your-own-adventure, part munchkin - and all Epic . #gamejourneythursday Clinton Coddington   Rocio Goodey Robert Washburn

The Piano guys and Lindsey Stirling! And Mission Impossible!

The Piano guys and Lindsey Stirling! And Mission Impossible! Originally shared by Alicia Smith Lindsey Stirling AND the Piano Guys do Mission Impossible. Be sure to watch the out takes at the end. As well as enjoying some excellent music and performance along the way! http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9p0BqUcQ7i0

The Piano guys remain awesome!

The Piano guys remain awesome! Originally shared by The Piano Guys Berlin!!! #thepianoguys   #berlin   #music   #dubstep   #cello   http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VcnzqKpFZ0I

As always, don't know how much good it does, but it is better than cursing the night...

As always, don't know how much good it does, but it is better than cursing the night... http://www.avaaz.org/en/monsanto_vs_mother_earth_twb/?pv=27

I am not a muso.

I am not a muso... but from a simple physics point of view this had me at the concept of a real-time non-physical modification of how the strings of the guitar it is attached to vibrate. http://gizmodo.com/5994116/how-inventor-paul-vo-created-a-little-black-box-that-could-change-guitars-forever

In case you were confused...

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In case you were confused... Originally shared by Michael Mittner A lot of people still confuse Austria and Australia, I hope that makes it clear.

#perth2013 #SeeAustralia

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#perth2013 #SeeAustralia A selection from my shots from the April 6 2013 photowalk in Fremantle, organised by Colby Brown and Paul Pichugin. See https://plus.google.com/u/0/events/cald6kqjv2mfis44rhvdhmckjc8 for the event page.

#perth2013 #SeeAustralia

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#perth2013 #SeeAustralia A selection from my shots from the April 6 2013 photowalk in Fremantle, organised by Colby Brown and Paul Pichugin. See https://plus.google.com/u/0/events/cald6kqjv2mfis44rhvdhmckjc8 for the event page.

#perth2013 #SeeAustralia

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#perth2013 #SeeAustralia A selection from my shots from the April 6 2013 photowalk in Fremantle, organised by Colby Brown and Paul Pichugin. See https://plus.google.com/u/0/events/cald6kqjv2mfis44rhvdhmckjc8 for the event page.

#perth2013 #SeeAustralia

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#perth2013 #SeeAustralia A selection from my shots from the April 6 2013 photowalk in Fremantle, organised by Colby Brown and Paul Pichugin. See https://plus.google.com/u/0/events/cald6kqjv2mfis44rhvdhmckjc8 for the event page. (To be clear - this is the Leeuwin II !)

#perth2013 #SeeAustralia

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#perth2013 #SeeAustralia A selection from my shots from the April 6 2013 photowalk in Fremantle, organised by Colby Brown and Paul Pichugin. See https://plus.google.com/u/0/events/cald6kqjv2mfis44rhvdhmckjc8 for the event page.

#perth2013 #SeeAustralia

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#perth2013 #SeeAustralia A selection from my shots from the April 6 2013 photowalk in Fremantle, organised by Colby Brown and Paul Pichugin. See https://plus.google.com/u/0/events/cald6kqjv2mfis44rhvdhmckjc8 for the event page.

#perth2013 #SeeAustralia

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#perth2013 #SeeAustralia A selection from my shots from the April 6 2013 photowalk in Fremantle, organised by Colby Brown and Paul Pichugin. See https://plus.google.com/u/0/events/cald6kqjv2mfis44rhvdhmckjc8 for the event page.

#perth2013 #SeeAustralia

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#perth2013 #SeeAustralia A selection from my shots from the April 6 2013 photowalk in Fremantle, organised by Colby Brown and Paul Pichugin. See https://plus.google.com/u/0/events/cald6kqjv2mfis44rhvdhmckjc8 for the event page.

Colby Brown and 5 others were tagged in Rob Masters's album.

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Colby Brown and 5 others were tagged in Rob Masters 's album.

Today was mostly taken up with the 2013 Perth Photowalk - again held in Freo (not Perth), but in the afternoon...

Today was mostly taken up with the 2013 Perth Photowalk - again held in Freo (not Perth), but in the afternoon rather then the pre-dawn of the last one we went to. We had over 120 people turn up - kudos to Paul Pichugin and Colby Brown for publicity and organizing the event. Our walk took us from King's Square, near the church, down to the Queen Victoria Quay, along to the Roundhouse, and onto Bathers' Beach, where we waited for the sunset. Everyone seemed to be having a great time, and there was a lot of comparing gear and shots going on, not to mention lots of photographing that rarest of subjects - other photographers! Our hosts were also happy to offer advice where sought, as were many of the other more experienced attendees. One thing that did strike me was the number of families and couples taking part - the stereotype of male photography enthusiast was well and truly shattered today! Thanks must go to the many sponsors, including Google, SmugMug, Wacom, and others for th

#perth2013 #SeeAustralia

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#perth2013 #SeeAustralia Colby and Paul - our hosts for the afternoon. Good work, guys!

#perth2013 , #SeeAustralia

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#perth2013   , #SeeAustralia Winding up the afternoon with Colby at the Perth Photowalk. We had a great time - thanks Paul and Colby!

#perth2013 , #SeeAustralia

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#perth2013 , #SeeAustralia Concentration

#perth2013 #SeeAustralia

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#perth2013 #SeeAustralia This old house...

#Perth2013 #SeeAustralia - Photographer duel

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#Perth2013 #SeeAustralia - Photographer duel

Added photos to Perth Photo Walk.

Added photos to Perth Photo Walk. events/cald6kqjv2mfis44rhvdhmckjc8?authkey=CP7Q9dGKs4WjQg

Some games are too heavy... :-)

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Some games are too heavy... :-)

Last year one of the Perth gaming and SF Fan community's greats, Michael O'Brien, lost his battle with a brain...

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Last year one of the Perth gaming and SF Fan community's greats, Michael O'Brien, lost his battle with a brain tumour. He was a fantastic gamer - not because of an overpowering drive to win (although he always did his best), but because of his commitment to making sure everyone enjoyed the game. He was influential in the founding of the Western Australian Boardgaming Association, and was always ready to teach games to newcomers. He is greatly missed. This year, Swancon (the Western Australian State Speculative Fiction Convention) decided to create a memorial award - "The Mikey" - for a player in the Swancon gaming steam who contributes to the enjoyment of play of others, thus embodying his memory. The award was presented by his wife at the closing ceremony, along with one of the Meeple Vests that the gaming room hosts wore while on duty. The winner of the inaugural Mikey was Alicia Smith, who very much embodies Mikey's nature in gaming, going out of her way to wel

My photos of Swancon 38, at the Ibis Styles Northbridge, over the Easter long weekend, 2013.

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My photos of Swancon 38, at the Ibis Styles Northbridge, over the Easter long weekend, 2013. Mostly views of the gaming room, but some photos from the GoH banquet, the Stargate, and of Alicia Smith receiving the inaugural "Mikey" award for a player in the Swancon gaming steam who contributes to the enjoyment of play of others.

#WeeklyPhotoProject2013 curated by

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#WeeklyPhotoProject2013 curated by  Andrew Willard , Iain Harley and  Tiina Niskanen Weekly Photo Project 2013 Week 13: Playing with Light Also at Swancon, one of the art submissions for a Silver Swan award (aka 'A Tin Duck') was a Stargate constructed from strings of LEDs - hanging in the stairwell of the hotel, so I decided to have some fun with it! Oh, the Stargate did win!

#WeeklyPhotoProject2013 curated by

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#WeeklyPhotoProject2013 curated by  Andrew Willard , Iain Harley and  Tiina Niskanen Weekly Photo Project 2013 Week 12: Planes, Trains & Automobiles During our annual state speculative fiction convention (Swancon), there was a game of Rallyman running... Here, i've just come off the track, just behind the section leader.